Jeff Gordon put himself in position to end a lengthy losing streak and extend his history of success at Martinsville Speedway on Friday without having to endure the rigors of qualifying. Rain washed away time trials at the .526-mile track, setting the starting lineup in order of Sprint Cup points standings.

Mark Martin, 50, turned the fastest lap in Sprint Cup qualifying for the second consecutive race, earning the pole position Friday for the Food City 500 and besting four drivers (Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne) who range in age from 11 to 22 years his junior.

Brian Vickers thought he finally had some good news to override the controversy of the past week. The 25-year-old Red Bull Racing driver won the pole for Sunday's Auto Club 500, barely beating heavily favored Jimmie Johnson. But, about an hour after taking the sixth pole of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career with a lap of 183.429 mph, Vickers found out his team would have to change the engine in his No. 83 Toyota, sending him to the back of the 43-car field.

The Chase for the Sprint Cup will begin the same way the regular season finished. Rain washed out qualifying for Sunday's Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, putting points leader Kyle Busch on the pole for the opener of the 10-race, 12-driver playoff to determine the champion of NASCAR's premier series.

Greg Biffle, a bridesmaid each of the last two weeks, made it look easy on Friday. Biffle captured his second pole in the last three Sprint Cup Series races, blowing away the competition in qualifying for Sunday's Best Buy 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway.

Earlier this year, Martin Truex Jr. got his first NASCAR Nextel Cup win. Now he has his first pole, too. The 27-year-old Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver turned a lap of 193.105 mph Friday at Texas Motor Speedway to grab the top spot for the Dickies 500.

Greg Biffle won his first pole in more than a year, nipping Kurt Busch for the top spot in NASCAR Nextel Cup qualifying Friday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Biffle turned a fast lap of 192.453 mph, while Busch had a 192.427 on the 1.5-mile oval. The time difference between the top two laps was 0.004 seconds.